Class B AIS waste of money

[shawndear]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Class B AIS is as good as you make it.

If ships do not want to see you in a harbor, so be it.

It's the LAW OF TONNAGE. Stay out of their way or pay the price.
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There is no "Law of Tonnage" and I often remind large container ships on channel 16, so many other people can also hear, that I am a sailing vessel under sail so they must change their coarse. There is no excuse for a large vessel unless in confined waterways to expect a sailing vessel to get out of their way. They have radar, AIS and someone on watch. 10 nm away with a 1deg change will ensure a miss. They move - that's the rules. And this has been proven in court many times, with manslaughter charges as a result against the Captain. Obviously I wont play the ultimate "chicken" game, but do press the point as they do NOT have a higher status just because they are bigger.

[sck5]

Shawndear above wrote one of the silliest posts I have read in a long time. He actually wants large merchant vessels to get out of his way! Hahahahahahahahhahahahhaahhaha. Good luck with that my friend! I have a much stronger sense of self preservation than that. I am small. They are large (and cant turn or stop very quickly either). Apart from that, they are doing a job and making a living. I am putzing around on my sailboat not in a hurry to get much of anywhere. I would be a fool (not to mention a few less polite things) not to get out of their way.

Shawndear, are you a lawyer by any chance?

As for AIS I didnt think too much of it until I sailed with it and now would not want to be without it. Sailing up and down Chesapeake Bay at night it really helps to know what those lights out there are, which way they are headed and how fast. Makes for a FAR more relaxing time. Sure, there are times and places where it doesnt get used too much (e.g the eastern Caribe where I am right now) but all you folks reading this should really check it out before you dismiss it on the basis of web comments by sailors who dont have it on their boats.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by shawndear

There is no "Law of Tonnage" and I often remind large container ships on channel 16, so many other people can also hear, that I am a sailing vessel under sail so they must change their coarse. There is no excuse for a large vessel unless in confined waterways to expect a sailing vessel to get out of their way. They have radar, AIS and someone on watch. 10 nm away with a 1deg change will ensure a miss. They move - that's the rules. And this has been proven in court many times, with manslaughter charges as a result against the Captain. Obviously I wont play the ultimate "chicken" game, but do press the point as they do NOT have a higher status just because they are bigger.

What do you want written on your epitaph; colregs said he was right.

[boatman61]

Yup.. force AIS on all boats.. make light recognition/interpretation a redundant relic of yesteryear.. in fact.. why bother with lights..

[justwaiting]

Originally Posted by Polux

That is plain crazy LOL. Their own fishing boats don't have AIS and foreign yachts are obliged to have? It seems they are not enforcing the measure but it is ridiculous anyway.

In Europe (EC) they have made it mandatory for fishing boats of a given size (15m and over) but till know I heard nothing about making it mandatory to Yachts in a near future.

The Thai fishing fleet is coming under increased regulation but it is difficult to mandate that small fishing vessels buy and operate tracking devices. There is a phase in process for the fishing fleet focusing on those that fish in international / overseas waters. They have they reasonable view that overseas yachts can more easily afford such devices.

The reason for these changes arise from international pressure (USA, EU et al) to act in relation to people smuggling, drugs, illegal fishing .....

[wiekeith]

Whilst crossing Biscay a couple months ago I accidentally knocked-off the AIS supply switch at the panel. A boat several miles behind immediately called on vhf to check all was well as they'd noticed us disappear from their screen. I was impressed with the person on watch - it was in the middle of the night - and felt reassured that the AIS tx was functioning (or not, as the case was )

[SecondWind90814]

I do not know of one commercial Captain that wants to be involved with any collision regardless of the size of boat.

[SV Enough]

Originally Posted by shawndear

There is no "Law of Tonnage" and I often remind large container ships on channel 16, so many other people can also hear, that I am a sailing vessel under sail so they must change their coarse. There is no excuse for a large vessel unless in confined waterways to expect a sailing vessel to get out of their way. They have radar, AIS and someone on watch. 10 nm away with a 1deg change will ensure a miss. They move - that's the rules. And this has been proven in court many times, with manslaughter charges as a result against the Captain. Obviously I wont play the ultimate "chicken" game, but do press the point as they do NOT have a higher status just because they are bigger.

I knew if I waited long enough someone would pull out the sailboat right of way, you give way to me line. Go for it, take them to court. Sea lawyers, gotta love'm. Read them the colregs over the VHF, shake your fist at them and threaten to sue as they plow you under.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by newhaul

What do you want written on your epitaph; colregs said he was right.

" If only I'd remembered rule 2..."


Everything you need is covered in the rules.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

.........
If your objective is is "be seen by commercial traffic", forget it! I personally have been summoned to the bridge to SPECIFICALLY check Furuno/ECDIS radar settings and ensure that "except class B" is ON, meaning exclude them. .......

Mark Fay,
Merchant Marine Credential Jr. Engineer, QMED, AS-E / MSC ET

I'm just wondering on what sort of ship with what sort of watchkeepers are junior engineers summoned to the bridge to sort out the ECDIS ..

[Olddave]

Originally Posted by shawndear

There is no "Law of Tonnage" and I often remind large container ships on channel 16, so many other people can also hear, that I am a sailing vessel under sail so they must change their coarse. There is no excuse for a large vessel unless in confined waterways to expect a sailing vessel to get out of their way. They have radar, AIS and someone on watch. 10 nm away with a 1deg change will ensure a miss. They move - that's the rules. And this has been proven in court many times, with manslaughter charges as a result against the Captain. Obviously I wont play the ultimate "chicken" game, but do press the point as they do NOT have a higher status just because they are bigger.

Well you certainly copped some flak for coming out and admitting that you stick to the rules. I get where you are coming from but I don't do it. I change my course early so the ship can see what I have done. Also by making my course change early and obvious I am not breaking Colregs by changing course when I am the Stand-on Vessel. Ie well before a close quarters situation develops.
Ships are not in the habit of making 1 degree course changes either. Colregs and good practice require that the change be obvious to the other vessel. Also ships hold their course because they have come to expect small sailing vessels to give way when not required.
As far as the original question about the value of Class B AIS is concerned, I couldn't afford to put Class A on my 10m sailing boat. If I could, I would have purchased the Furuno FA150 because it is a pleasure to use. It does not beep audible alarms at you! I have a Vesper 850 WatchMate and it is OK except for the alarms. Alarms should be optional, it is very annoying having equipment yelling at you when you are attending to more urgent matters.
Dave

[SV Enough]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I'm just wondering on what sort of ship with what sort of watchkeepers are junior engineers summoned to the bridge to sort out the ECDIS ..

Military Sealift Command Electronics Technician. US Navy Nuke Machinist Mate 1st class, submariner, IBM & Raytheon R&D. I can change the exhaust valve on a Colt Pielstick 10PC4.2 V 570 and troubleshoot, repair and tune an APG-79 radar with the best of them.

QMED, Qualified member of the Engineering Department
AS-E, Able Seafarer Engineering

Still confused?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

They were tracking you visually and on their X Band 3cm radar. Which can paint very small objects with or without AIS at longer range than you can see them. Their radar scanners are often hundreds of feet above the water.

Mark Fay MMC Jr. Engineer QMED AS-E / MSC ET

And you know this how?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

Military Sealift Command Electronics Technician. US Navy Nuke Machinist Mate 1st class, submariner, IBM & Raytheon R&D. I can change the exhaust valve on a Colt Pielstick 10PC4.2 V 570 and troubleshoot, repair and tune an APG-79 radar with the best of them.

QMED, Qualified member of the Engineering Department
AS-E, Able Seafarer Engineering

Still confused?

You failed to answer the question....

'what sort of ship with what sort of watchkeepers'..

You really work on a ship where the Master and his bridge team can not adjust the settings on their ECDIS without the help of a junior engineer.....?

Sounds pretty much like the lower end of the FOC food chain to me.

[SFS]

LOL, timing is everything.